The Mice and the Maestro!

I wrote this for a school competition. The task was to write a beginning to a fairy tale in the traditional style.

The Mice and the Maestro. Let me tell you a tale; A tale of magic, music, mystery and miracles. A tale that is set in a far away kingdom. A tale that will open your mind to a whole new world. This is the tale of “The Mice and the Maestro.” Now, this is no ordinary fairy story. There are no daring princes, fearsome dragons, wicked witches or gingerbread houses. No, in this story, we have only one lonely king, one struggling maestro and 3 extraordinary mice. It was a dark and stormy November morning. The king sat on his throne, gazing endlessly into the fire, his tears pouring like the rain outside. Now, later on, you may think that the poor king is the villain of the story. Although he does turn rather sour, let us not forget that he is very sad and very lonely as not too long ago, his wife, the queen, died of a fatal illness. The Kingdom’s many servants, footmen, maids and cooks darted around the castle struggling to follow the King’s orders of preparing the magnificent annual feast in memory of the Queen. The King sobbed silently with grief, remembering how his dear wife had loved all kinds of parties. To make matters worse, the King was also under pressure to find an heir for his throne. So full of remorse, the King barely noticed his chief servant appear in front of him. When his servant cleared his throat, the King jumped and looked up, wiping away his tears. “Yes, yes. What is it?” he said. “Sorry to disturb you, your majesty, but will any music be required for this evening’s feast?” The King frowned. He had forgotten about entertainment. Besides, wasn’t this meant to be a sombre occasion? But then again, his wife had adored music- the sweet sound of a lute being strum, the tantalizing tune of a harp being plucked. Yes, he decided. There would be the greatest music ever placed at his feast- something that his wife would be proud of. “Of course,” he answered. “Order the court composer to create a wonderful piece of music fit for the Queen, to be played in her honour. And tell him that if he fails, he shall be sent to the dungeons!” As his servant nodded and left, the King sank back into his reverie. He was determined to make this event a success. He would not fail his wife and anyone who did not perform to perfection would pay the price. It was not sound of the scuttling rats or the screaming baby that awoke Leon, but the deafening banging on his front door. He could tell by the light that it was late afternoon. He’d fallen asleep at his harpsichord, again, and as he struggled to get off his stool, the door swung wide open. “The King has clear orders for you, Maestro!” the King’s royal servant barked in Leon’s face. “He says that is you’re to compose a brand new, outstanding, breathtaking, over-whelming and absolutely tremendous piece of music to be performed at the King’s feast.” Leon could barely believe his ears. “When is the feast?” he asked breathlessly. “This evening,” the servant said flatly. “Oh, and if you’re to fail, you will be imprisoned for life.” He turned on his heel and strolled out without another word. Leon blinked, trying to take it all in. How on earth was he to compose a new piece of music in less than 3 hours?! It just wasn’t possible! But he couldn’t risk being imprisoned forever. And this was the first job he’d been given in months. He had his wife and his new born baby to think of. He had no choice. With a yawn, Leon prepared himself with a glass of water, the last of the stale bread and a chunk of cheese. Before embarking on this impossible task, Leon, who was a deeply compassionate and giving young man, knelt down near a hole in the wall. He broke the cheese into three bite size pieces and placed them at the entrance. Wide-eyed, Leon watched as his three well-known mice peeked their noses out their home to retrieve his gift. Leon chucked as they nibbled away hungrily. “Can you help me write this music?” he asked them, sighing. Life was surely so simple for a mouse, he thought before reluctantly returning to his harpsichord stool, picking up his quill and beginning to think. Unfortunately, our poor Leon was utterly exhausted before he came to put ink to paper. He was snoring deeply, his head rested on the keyboard. Now, not many people believed in magic in those days. Those who did were quickly sought out and killed, as it was thought of as being evil and wrong. However, magic is not always bad, not if it is used for good. And in this tale we are about to discover how three magical mice helped out a young maestro by created a miracle of music...

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